Ireland urged to provide sign language interpreters so deaf people can serve on juries

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/deaf-woman-wins-jury-battle-2259065.html

NEW laws should be introduced to allow sign language interpreters to help deaf jurors during confidential deliberations, it was urged last night.

DeafHear, formerly the National Association of Deaf People (NADF), has called for reform of Ireland's jury laws following a landmark legal action which said there could be no blanket ban on deaf people serving on juries.

Yesterday, deaf mother-of-two Joan Clarke, from Loughrea, Co Galway, won part of her High Court action challenging a long-standing ban on deaf people serving on juries.

Ms Clarke, whose husband is also deaf, has been deaf since birth.

High Court Judge Mr Justice Daniel O'Keeffe ruled that the county registrar in Galway had no power to "excuse" Ms Clarke from jury service as there is no mechanism to excuse people like Ms Clarke who are ineligible to serve on a jury.

DeafHear last night said that the presence of sign language interpreters in a jury room would not offend the "13th person" rule which bans anyone apart from 12 jurors being present during deliberations.

Suspects

"An interpreter is present to assist the deaf person not to represent any side," said DeafHear's CEO Niall Keane, who has interpreted on behalf of deaf suspects in criminal trials and has signed for deaf people in family law and rape cases.

"The juror, even if they are deaf, is still in the lead. The interpreter is there to assist the deaf juror and acts as an impartial officer of the court."

Because Mr Justice O'Keeffe decided to quash the decision to exclude Ms Clarke from the jury on a technical point of law, the judge did not go on to deal with the substantive Constitutional or European Convention on Human Rights issues connected with the case.

But the judge said that in his opinion sign language interpreters could not be allowed into a jury room as it would breach the absolute confidentiality of juror deliberations.

The Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC), which represented Ms Clarke, who did not attend court yesterday, welcomed the ruling.

FLAC solicitor Michael Farrell said the decision made an important dent in the ban on deaf persons serving on juries which had been in force until now. Such a ban was offensive and hurtful to deaf people and had no place in a modern, inclusive society, he said.

- Dearbhail McDonald 

Legal Editor

On Speaking Terms: HSE guide to use of interpreters

Hi all

Came across this document online:

On Speaking Terms - A user manual containing guidelines for staff on accessing and using interpreters




It's actually pretty good, and an effective way to ensure Deaf citizens get access to interpretation services in public hospitals. It forms part of the HSE's Emergency Multilingual Aid.






Regards




Cormac

Deaf woman in jury disqualification challenge

A deaf woman who took a legal challenge after she was disqualified from serving on a jury has won part of her case in the High Court.

The court ruled that a County Registrar was not entitled to exclude Joan Clarke, from Loughrea, Galway, from jury service.

However, the judgment does not clear the way for deaf people to serve on a jury.

Mr Justice O'Keefe said the presence of a sign language interpreter in a jury room would breach confidentiality, which is an integral part of trial by jury.

Lawyers for the Free Legal Advice Centres who took the case on Ms Clarke's behalf said they will return to court next week to pursue other aspects of the case.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0714/clarkej.html

Deaf News "Interpreters lack signs"

Interpreting Access within the Health Service Executive

INTERPRETING ACCESS WITHIN THE HSE
Kerry Deaf Resource Centre

Our service along with other Deaf services and Hands ON TV have been campaigning for many years for improved access to services particularly to the Health Service Executive (HSE). We wrote to the HSE to ascertain how much money was spent on sign language interpreting access in Kerry. We made this request under the Freedom of Information Act.

The response was ".... a head can refuse to grant the request if the record concerned does not exist......". The letter goes on to say, "The funding details you have requested are not held in that specific nature either locally or centrally. Our financial records of funding are divided into set structures so as to conform to a national standardisation. Funding for Sign Language is contained within our Interpreter expenses total spend and allocation."

Given the introduction of the Equal Status Acts 2000 + 2004, and The Disability Act 2005- it is shocking to hear that there are no specific records for sign language interpreting spend within the HSE. The only information that is available was the overall spend on all interpreting services, which includes spoken language interpreting. Given the large number of languages now in use in Kerry, we anticipated that the spend would be quite high? Not so, in 2008, the HSE Kerry only spent 29,749.69 euro. If you take spoken language interpreting out of this amount, it confirms that the HSE is spending very little on sign language interpreting access.

In Cork, the overall spend is remarkably higher 302, 387 euro. Again, there is no specific information available on sign language spend. This needs to change and we must continue with the campaign for better access. Deaf people's health and their lives are at risk if they are not provided with appropriate access/support.

Taken from Kerry Deaf Resource Centre update, 30/3/09

Irish sign language action settled

Irish Times Wed, Nov 26, 2008

A HIGH Court action brought on behalf of a deaf brother and sister aimed at securing adequate tuition through Irish sign language (ISL) has been settled.

Proceedings against the Minister for Education, the State and the Attorney General were aimed at securing a court order directing that the children - a boy aged 14 and an eight-year-old girl - be provided with adequate education, therapies and support services, in accordance with their constitutional rights.

The family sought to increase the number of ISL tuition hours provided for the children from two to seven-and-a-half hours weekly. It was claimed this was necessary as the children required appropriate bilingual education in line with best international practice.

The case was due to open yesterday. However, Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill was told it had been settled and, after hearing details, the judge said he had no hesitation in approving the settlement. Tony O'Connor SC, with John Hanlon BL, for the children, said the family was happy with the settlement.

Mr O'Connor said the terms of settlement provided that the Minister now recognises ISL as a language in the education of the two children. The Minister has also agreed to support the continuing professional development of teachers at the children's schools in relation to ISL.

The Minister is also to encourage the children's schools to implement individual education plans within three months in order to address the children's needs.

The Minister also agreed to pay the applicants' costs.

In the case of the boy, the Minister further agreed to support his application to the HSE for counselling in regard to his social and personal adjustment.

The children's mother said she had sought an increase in ISL tuition hours due to her concern that their lack of access to ISL was affecting their educational development.

She claimed requests for increases in tuition were not responded to and that the children's education was affected due to their teachers not being adequately trained.

© 2008 The Irish Times

The Use of Non-Accredited Interpreters

Kerry Deaf Resource Centre email update, 28 Oct 2008

THE USE OF NON-ACCREDITED INTERPRETERS

Our service has been campaigning for a long time to ensure Deaf people are provided with appropriately qualified interpreters.

In the Corkman newspaper on the 16th of October, they ran an article on a court case where all the charges were dismissed due to the mishandling of interpreting access.

The paper reported that "the difficulties arose regarding a statement made by witness Marie O’Sullivan on the night of the incident, and the qualifications of an interpreter used at the court hearing. Tom O’Sullivan, defending solicitor for Laura Kelly, called for the case to be dismissed onthe basis that there had been a statement taken from a witness without an interpreter on the night of the incident..... In addition, he said, an interpreter used in court at a previous sitting, on September 3, had not been properly qualified.

Following that sitting, Mr O’Sullivan had sent Gardai information contending that the interpreter used for key witness Marie O’Sullivan in court was not properly qualified. “She [Laura Kelly] is entitled to fairness,” said Tom O’Sullivan. “I believe that the issue that has arisen is due to the interpreter, as she was not properly trained"

This is certainly a wake up call for Gardai, Courts and other agencies.There have been a number of incidents in Cork where a non-accredited person has been booked via Access Translations. The HSE and Court Services use Access Translations for sign language interpreters- however none of the agencies ensure the person booked is appropriately accredited to do the work.

We will continue to campaign to ensure only accredited interpreters are booked for all interpreting assignments.



MINISTERIAL ORDER ON INTERPRETER USE IN GARDA INTERVIEWS

To prevent cases collapsing as the one above, we need to be aware of the rights that Deaf people have in Ireland and ensure these rights are respected.

In the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 (Treatment of Persons in Custody in Garda Siochana Stations) Regulations, 1987.(8) (a) Where an arrested person is deaf or there is doubt about his hearing ability, he shall not be questioned in relation to an offence in the absence of an interpreter, if one is reasonably available, without his written consent (and, where he is under the age of seventeen years, the written consent of an appropriate adult) or in the circumstances specified in paragraph (7) (a) (iii).

For more information on this regulation, check out the following

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1987/en/si/0119.html

A tribute to Kathleen O'Brien - too young to die

Reposted from the KDRC's website www.kerrydeaf.com. Many thanks for this harrowing and shocking story.

This week's update is dedicated to our client and friend Kathleen O'Brien who passed away last week at the tender age of 39. She passed away peacefully after a brave battle with advanced cervical cancer.

Kathleen was Deaf and a sign language user. She had a learning disability, night-blindness, was a member of the traveller community and lived alone for many years. A couple of years ago she was attacked in her home in the middle of the night and had to live in a homeless hostel for many months. She had difficulties with literacy skills and retaining information.

However, this did not stop her from being a very well liked person. She was a regular visitor to our Centre- sometimes coming in for a chat and a cup of tea up to four times a day. She always had a smile, a wink, a nod and thumbs up for everyone she met.

Kathleen required the support of accredited sign language interpreters and Deaf advocacy services. Given her range of disabilities and challenges, you would imagine, it would have been easy for our service to get support for Kathleen? With the introduction of Equality and Disability legislation, supports would be provided with little or no trouble?

The reality was shocking!!! Kathleen attended many appointments with public services and Government bodies without any access being provided to her. When she scribbled down she wanted an interpreter, this request was ignored on many occasions.

When our service became aware of this, we began to lobby on her behalf and came up against obstacle after obstacle particularly within the Health Service Executive. It was difficult to get through to the relevant people within the HSE to arrange, sanction or book an interpreter. We were sent from pillar to post, time and time again.

As it became apparent that Kathleen was becoming unwell, Veronica White from the National Chaplaincy for Deaf People (NCDP), Deaf Advocates and freelance interpreters began to work with Kathleen. On many occasions, these people worked with Kathleen without pay.

The Medical Centre that Kathleen attended started to insist on interpreting access. When these requests were made to the HSE, it was a huge challenge to get sanctioning. We received one e-mail from the HSE asking if it was absolutely necessary for Kathleen to have interpreting access, given she had been attending many appointments on her own for many years.

Government Departments and Public Services are obligated to provide reasonable accommodation to persons with a disability. According to our Barrister, it is clear that the HSE are failing to meet their obligation under The Equal Status Acts and The Disability Acts.

As Kathleen's condition started to deteriorate, she was admitted on a number of times to hospitals in Kerry and Cork. Again, it was a huge struggle to ensure accredited interpreting and advocacy was provided for her. Our service sent e-mails, interpreting leaflets, made phone calls, and typed up a business card stating Kathleen required the services of an interpreter. Staff from our Centre, the NCDP, Cork Deaf Association and freelance interpreters began to lobby on Kathleen's behalf. Requests were ignored many times.

As the process was time consuming and very tiring, we were forced to contact the Ombudsman's Office, The Equality Authority and The Minister for Health. Independent mediation was brought in and thankfully all the necessary supports were put in place immediately.

Unfortunately for Kathleen, this support was too late. It was provided to her in her last few weeks on earth. Why wasn't this support put in place years ago?

If professionals were able to communicate effectively with Kathleen, they would have been more able to assess, diagnosed and treat her earlier. Communication is a central aspect of our daily lives. Our ability to communicate with others dictates our access to vital resources such as healthcare. According to Bagley (1998), communication underlies everything else and is the most important issue for most disabled people.

Is the difficulty of access just a Kerry based issue? Unfortunately not!! Hands On, a TV programme for the Deaf ran two programmes recently on the problems that Deaf people are facing throughout Ireland with the HSE. It's time to stop talking and time to start acting. Kathleen like many other Deaf people are not being afforded equal rights. We need equality of access for all Deaf people before anymore of them die.

In addition to communication support- why was Kathleen not given a smear test? Pre-cancerous changes that occur to cells in the cervix can be detected by means a smear test. This is the 2nd Deaf woman to die of advanced cervical cancer in Kerry in the last three years.

The Government needs to implement a national screening programme for ALL women. Deaf women are not being tested and have died as a result. How many more women need to die!!

In the end, our fight for Kathleen was worth it. Kathleen died with dignity surrounded by family and friends. We would like to thank all those who supported us in our fight for Kathleen.

We would particularly like to Veronica White, Suzanne Carey, Susan O Callaghan, Ray Greene, Willie White, Dearbhla Lenihan (Independent Mediator), the staff of the Clounalour Medical Centre, Arlington Lodge, Dr. Sheahan and all those who cared for Kathleen, Mairead Carey and to the staff of our service. We could not have provided Kathleen with the love, care and compassion she deserved without your hard work and commitment.

We would like to extend our sincere sympathies to Kathleen's family. They accepted us into their lives at a very hard and sad time. It was an honour and a privilege to work with them all. It was clear to see that Kathleen was deeply loved by all of those from the travelling community. Many of her family and friends had learnt a very unique signing system that Kathleen devised and taught them. It showed that she was a very intelligent and loyal person who had great ability to communicate with people.

It's just a shame that many of the professionals who dealt with Kathleen didn't communicate with her in her chosen language- sign language.

Kathleen was a great lady - a true inspiration and a hero. She struggled throughout her life and never lost her smile. Even in her last days, she had a smile, a wink, a nod and thumbs up for people.

We will work hard to ensure her struggle changes the lives of many people for the better. May she rest in peace xxx

Exploring the research and policy gaps: A review of literature on women and disability

This report commissioned by the National Disability Authority has some interesting points about Deaf people and medical interpreting - most from outside Ireland though.

Here's Chapter 7 that deals with Communication Barriers.

Time to change attitudes

Hearing children often have to take on huge tasks to help parents and siblings, reports Sheila Wayman

WHEN AMANDA Dunne was a young child, she would often pray at bedtime that she would be deaf when she woke up in the morning.

"Up to about the age of 12, I really wanted to be deaf like everyone else," she says. Her parents, Brenda and Eugene, are deaf, as is her only sibling, Darren.

From the day she was born, Dunne was learning to communicate with her immediate family through Irish Sign Language (ISL).

Having hearing grandparents helped her to pick up spoken English, although she was referred to a speech therapist when she started school: "They noticed I was not pronouncing things the right way." But she says that not all hearing children of deaf parents would have that problem.

Growing up in Rialto, Dublin, she does not believe she had a radically different childhood from her friends.

"The only thing I would have noticed was that my parents had a lot more difficulties with everyday things.

"Not through any fault of their own, but because of the attitude of the wider community."

She found it hurtful that people would presume her parents were stupid.

"It can be upsetting for a kid if people are disrespectful to your parents and if you see your parents being treated as different. It still happens today," says Dunne (26) who has just qualified as a professional ISL interpreter after a two-year course at Trinity College.

As the only hearing member of the family, she was inevitably called on as a child to interpret using ISL for her parents, sometimes in far from appropriate circumstances.

It was not that her parents wanted her to do it, but often there was no choice.

At school in Loreto Crumlin, she turned this to her advantage at parent-teacher meetings.

"When the teacher said 'Amanda is not being very good', I'd say: 'She says I'm great.' They copped on to that soon enough."

As an adult, it can still be difficult. At the end of last year, her father had a heart attack at home, and was admitted to hospital for a week.

"I was pulled in to interpret for him," she says, and the medical staff did not seem to consider for a moment that it might not be appropriate to use his daughter, who was going through her own emotions.

"I was all over the place. I never thought to ask for an interpreter," she says.

But she finds it "really infuriating" that hospitals will provide interpreters of foreign languages, but are very reluctant to pay for ISL interpreters. If a deaf person asks for an interpreter, she says, the attitude is "they are Irish, can't they write it down?"

Willy White, a hearing son of two deaf parents, says he and his five siblings had to communicate on their parents' behalf when growing up in Tralee, Co Kerry, more than 30 years ago. At that time there were no ISL interpreters around.

"As a child you took on responsibility at a very early age. It was a burden you are socially and linguistically not equipped to carry," says White, who is an ISL interpreter.

He set up the Kerry Deaf Resource Centre in 1999 when, despite the legislative improvements for the deaf community through the Equal Status Act and Disability Act, there was very little happening on the ground.

"I wanted to change that," he says.

White believes there is still a lack of awareness of the obligation to provide support for deaf people.

He was talking to a neurosurgeon recently who thought it was "brilliant" that the seven-year-old child of a deaf patient was able to come in and interpret through ISL.

"You can't have a seven-year-old child interpreting at a neurosurgical appointment," says White. "And this is an intelligent guy. There is a naivety out there in many ways."

Tue, Sep 02, 2008. © 2008 The Irish Times

Only 25% of firms take on disabled graduates

JUST ONE-in-four businesses employs a graduate with a disability, a new survey has found. This is despite the number of third-level students with a disability having tripled in the last 12 years, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (Ahead) revealed yesterday.

Half of the 300 employers surveyed by TNS/MRBI had interviewed a candidate with a disability. However, almost three-quarters of employers believed a job candidate should tell an employer if they had a disability.

Three-quarters of employers had not had any disability training, and 45 per cent did not understand that reasonable accommodation can include the use of a sign-language interpreter.

"Employers fear some sort of reprisal if they 'get it wrong' when recruiting or employing a graduate with disabilities," said Ann Heelan, executive director of Ahead. "They are worried about legislation, their own knowledge of disabilities and how to manage them, and productivity levels," she added.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 © 2008 The Irish Times

2003 Special Olympics: Deaf people’s group criticises facilities at Games

Thursday, June 26, 2003 :

A DEAF people’s group has harshly criticised the organisers of the Special Olympics for not doing enough to cater for their needs in the opening ceremony.

The Irish Deaf Society said the provision of a designated box area with a sign language interpreter for the duration of the ceremony was only agreed at short notice and was really a half-measure.

The society’s administrator, Cormac Leonard, said he was hoping mistakes made by the organising committee would be corrected in time for the closing ceremony on Sunday night.

Special Olympics spokesperson, Julian Davis, said they had all major speeches signed on the screen behind the stage. Signing of the music and any other words spoken was available within two of the corporate boxes if needed. A fax and mobile number was given out for anyone who wanted to have sign interpretation throughout the entire three-hour event. Mr Davis said six people availed of the service.

The Irish Deaf Society had accepted the arrangement as a good solution but complained that it segregated them from the rest of the 75,000 spectators.

Mr Davis said they had tried to cater for everybody but it was not possible to have a perfect solution for every situation.

Mr Davis said he had originally thought that they could have 100% signing on the stage and that this would be satisfactory but that proved not to be the case.

http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2003/06/26/story915562675.asp

Lisa Dunne - ISL Interpreter in Irish Independent

Two worlds collide: A wider knowledge of sign language would make life a whole lot easier for the thousands of profoundly deaf people in this country

By Sue Leonard, Irish Independent, Monday September 01 2008

(Click above link for all the article)

...Lisa Dunne, 24, doesn't remember when she realised that her family was 'different'. An only child of deaf parents, known as a CODA, Lisa was always mixing with her extended family, many of whom are also deaf.

"My dad has two deaf brothers," says Lisa. "One has two children, one is deaf and one hearing, and the other brother has seven children, two hearing and five deaf. We are all very close."
Lisa used sign language to communicate with her parents. She learned it from them naturally, but was it tough, having to do all the talking for her parents?

"Being between the two worlds, these worlds that did not 'get' each other, could be hard," she says. "You are a kind of mediator. It was difficult sometimes, but it wasn't traumatic. I just went with it.

"It's not a strain at the time, but it can be inappropriate," she says. "I would have known bank and insurance details, and my parent's medical details. It is better, if possible, that parents do not always rely on a child to interpret. But often they don't have a choice."

After a year at college studying International Event Management, Lisa realised that the career was not for her. So she studied ISL at Trinity College Dublin, gaining an accreditation to work for a government agency as a freelance sign-language interpreter.

Rewarding
"I love my job," she says. "It takes me everywhere in the country. I might be at a business meeting, at a conference, or in a college signing to a deaf student from the front of the lecture hall," she says.

"It can be rewarding, but some deaf people go through hard times. And because we have to be neutral, there is not a lot we can do at the time. That can be frustrating."
What was it like, though, being brought up in a quiet home?

"Well we still had rows," she says. "We'd become really animated. The best thing, though, was when my friends stayed over. If we came in late we could make as much noise as we liked. My house was really popular!" she laughs.

- Sue Leonard

Arranging for Sign Language Interpretation Abroad: A Disability Service Provider Perspective

Disability services offices across the [USA] are asking themselves whether or not to provide accommodations for Deaf students who hope to travel abroad through educational exchange programs. After the U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) ruled that Arizona State University did not have to provide interpreter services for a Deaf student who wanted to attend University College in Cork, Ireland, in January 2002, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported, “Advocates for students with disabilities say the decision… could cause some colleges to begin denying many students accommodations when they want to study overseas.”*. However, the Arizona case remains one ruling among several regarding overseas accommodations, leaving the educational community with lingering questions.

Read the rest of this article here or here.

Irish Times - Deaf woman contests jury exclusion

Deaf woman contests jury exclusion


A DEAF mother of two has brought a landmark legal action against the Courts Service and the State challenging her exclusion from jury service on grounds of her deafness.

Joan Clarke says she should not be deemed ineligible for jury service merely because she is deaf, and that any such exclusion is discriminatory and in breach of various provisions of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights Act 2003.

She wants to perform “this important civic duty” on the same basis as everyone else and was frustrated at not being allowed to when she was summoned for jury service before Galway Circuit Court in April 2006 but was subsequently excused from serving, apparently on grounds of her deafness, Ms Clarke said.

She is entitled to be facilitated to serve on a jury by means of a sign language interpreter, she contends. Gerard Hogan SC, for Ms Clarke, argued the fact she is deaf should not mean she is automatically excluded from jury service and there was no justification for such a blanket exclusion.

The real issue, under the Juries Act 1976, is whether she is “incapable” of serving and that issue should be decided judicially in open court and not decided administratively, he said.
Ms Clarke, identified as a homemaker, of Hassling, Athenry Road, Loughrea, Co Galway, and her husband were in court yesterday for the opening of her action before Mr Justice Daniel O’Keeffe.

The proceedings were signed for Ms Clarke and other deaf persons in court by two sign language interpreters.

The case has been brought against the Galway County Registrar, the Courts Service, Ireland and the Attorney General, with the Human Rights Commission as a notice party.

Ms Clarke is represented by the Free Legal Advice Centres. In opposing the action, the State denies the claims of unconstitutionality or breaches of the ECHR Act 2003. It says that, under the Juries Act, Ms Clarke is ineligible for jury service due to the “permanent infirmity of deafness” and denies that Ms Clarke is entitled to have appropriate arrangements made to accommodate her deafness and enable her serve as a juror.

Among other arguments, the State contends the presence of a sign language interpreter in a jury room would breach the “absolute confidentiality” of jury discussions.

In an affidavit on behalf of Ms Clarke, Evelyn Conroy, chairwoman of the Irish Association of Sign Language Interpreters, said all practising interpreters must be members of that body, which has a code of practice and of ethics.



Judgment reserved in deaf woman's challenge to State's bar on jury duty

THE HIGH Court has reserved judgment on a landmark legal challenge by a deaf mother of two to her being excused from jury service apparently on grounds of her deafness.

Joan Clarke says she should not be deemed ineligible for jury service merely because she is deaf and that any such exclusion is discriminatory and in breach of various provisions of the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) Act 2003.

The real issue, under the Juries Act 1976, is whether she is “incapable” of serving and that issue should be decided judicially in open court and not decided administratively, she said.

Ms Clarke says she wants to perform “this important civic duty” on the same basis as everyone else and was frustrated at not being allowed to when summoned for jury service before Galway Circuit Court in April 2006, but was subsequently, against her wishes, excused from serving apparently on grounds of her deafness. She is entitled to be facilitated to serve on a jury by means of a sign language interpreter, she claims.

Ms Clarke, a homemaker, Ashlawn, Athenry Road, Loughrea, Co Galway, has been deaf since birth. Her husband is also deaf and they have two hearing children.

Represented by the Free Legal Advice Centres, she brought her action against the Galway County Registrar, the Courts Service and the State with the Human Rights Commission as a notice party.

The three-day hearing concluded this week before Mr Justice Daniel O’Keeffe who reserved his decision.

The proceedings were signed for Ms Clarke and other deaf persons in court by two sign language interpreters.

The State has denied the claims of unconstitutionality or breaches of the ECHR Act 2003. It argued that, under the Juries Act, Ms Clarke is ineligible for jury service due to the “permanent infirmity of deafness” and denies that Ms Clarke is entitled to have appropriate arrangements made to accommodate her deafness and enable her serve as a juror.

Interpreting Agencies

Where can I book an interpreter?

You can book an interpreter in Ireland in the following places:


Sign Language Interpreting Service

Bridge Interpreting

Centre for Sign Language Studies, Galway

Kerry Deaf Resource Centre


Some other sites of note:

Sign Language Interpreter Service North-West

Irish Deaf Society

Deafhear.ie

RNID Belfast (Northern Ireland)

Hands that Talk (Dungannon)

FÁS Job Interview Interpreter Grant

HI all

Here are links to two pages about the Job Interview Interpreter Grant.

If you are going for a job interview, and you are Deaf, FáS have a special grant that covers the cost of an interpreter.

- FáS website

- Citizens Information Board website (the CIB link has lots of useful information).